Bulk Data Centers‘ customers will now be able to verify that their data is powered exclusively by 100% renewable energy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The 24/7 power matching service will initially be available at Bulk’s OS-IX facility in Oslo, with power being matched against the nearby Bingsfoss hydropower station.
The new renewable power matching option is the result of an agreement between Bulk Data Centers and Akershus Energi, the owner of Bingsfoss hydropower station. OS-IX will be one of very few data centres in Europe to offer renewable power matching to its customers, according to renewable power consultancy Becour.
“Renewable power matching is aimed at customers with the highest standards and the most transparent reporting policies with respect to sustainability. It represents a new level of transparency where the customers can be certain of the electricity’s origin”, says Tor Ribland, Vice President Operations at Bulk Data Centers.
Traditionally, the challenge for data centre operators has been to certify the true carbon-free nature of consumed electricity. Existing systems look at the amount of consumed electricity by a company without considering the time and place of the consumption. This means that even though a company may have purchased renewable energy certificates or guarantees of origin equal to its total consumption, it might still use fossil fuels when and where the production of renewable electricity is low. Renewable power matching, in contrast, allows companies to match the electricity they consume with renewable electricity produced at any specified time.
“The Norwegian electricity mix is already close to 100% renewable, and therefore a preferred data centre location for a number of international customers. Renewable power matching brings sustainable operations to an even higher level”, says Stine Stine Bjønnstu Holthe, Head of Sustainability at Bulk Infrastructure Group.
